Forest Preserve District takes new path
Will County making deep dive into trail specs with 396 signs
The Forest Preserve District of Will County is breaking new ground — literally and figuratively — with its trailhead signage.
New signs being installed along all 134 miles of the district’s trails will include information on path grade, cross slope, obstructions, length, width and surface material, the district announced in December. The signs are being installed at 396 trail locations.
“The new signs take a wonderful amenity and enhance the experience for all users by providing the detailed information they need for fun and rewarding outings,” said Cindy Cain, the district’s public information officer. “Knowing how difficult or easy a trail will be before you begin a walk or bike ride is invaluable for so many people who may have physical limitations. We pride ourselves on being open to all, regardless of abilities, and these signs will help path users better navigate where they can go and what they can do.”
The trails in Will County range from natural surfaces to crushed limestone to asphalt, allowing for hiking, biking, wildlife watching, in-line skating, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Cain said the district used sensors to record the gradient of slopes and accurate trail distances while noting obstructions.
Delving into those details and including them on signs is something only “a handful” of government entities across the country have implemented, according to the district. Cori Crawford, the district’s real estate and data supervisor who is overseeing the project, said being a pioneer in that realm meant starting from scratch.
“The template we had been using did not meet our needs,” Crawford said. “So we had to create our own template from the raw data. Forest Preserve staff experienced a learning curve working with the data.”
It took approximately 100 hours over the course of a year to collect the information, eight months to analyze and summarize that data, and 18 months for sign design and production, Crawford said. The cost of design, production and installation countywide, including 160 new posts, is approximately $175,000.
Matthew Novander, chief landscape architect for the Forest Preserves, said the project is part of the district’s Americans with Disabilities Act transition plan to address accessibility and user needs.
“We started this project in 2015
and have been working continuously, making incremental steps to the project’s completion along the way,” Novander said. “Every foot of trail within our system needed to be evaluated, cataloged and analyzed in order to present the specific trail information as well as a total redesign, graphic layouts and production of the sign panels themselves. It was a large but necessary undertaking.”
That process was enlightening, even for district staff who are around the trails on a regular basis. Crawford added that it was a good reminder that Will County has a wide variety of trails available.
“There are many short and relatively flat paths located next to wide-open prairies, and other trails traverse ravines in woodlands along bluffs,” she said. “From a data standpoint, we were pleased with the typical grades and cross slopes being within an appropriate range for most users.”
Crawford said the primary driver was collecting and posting information so that people can make better decisions about how they use the county’s paths based on their abilities and needs. With the grade of each path, trail distances are also more accurate than they have been in the past.
“More details needed to be collected and displayed at all designated Forest Preserve trails,” she said. “We considered adding the trail details to existing trailhead signs and quickly realized the signage would benefit from a complete overhaul.”
The new signs also include trail rules and emergency contact information, and more graphics and less text, Crawford said. They are expected to be installed by spring.